Robert Bruce Banner
Robert Bruce Banner is a genius scientist who previously worked at Culver University. After he and his girlfriend Elizabeth Ross began working on a project for the goverment and Betty's father, Bruce tested the gammar formula on himself inadvertantly transforming him into what is known as the Hulk. Biography Earlier Life Born Robert Bruce Banner, he commonly uses the name Bruce Banner. He grew up becoming a top scientist and researcher at Culver University. He grew a close relationship with co-worker Elizabeth Ross and the two were put on a project by Betty's father, General Thaddeus Ross working on a Radiation Resistance project for the US Military. Unbenownst to Banner, Ross actually had him working on enhancing humans into Super Soldiers, matching the work done on Operation: Rebirth during WWII. Banner was so sure of the technology, he tried it on himself, instantly transforming him into a large green monster later called the Hulk. Hulk fled on a rampage injuring Betty and Ross. When Ross arranged to have Banner arrested realising that he had created an advance on the Super soldier, Banner escaped. The Incredible Hulk Now a fugitive from the United States Army for around 5 years, and Ross' father, General "Thunderbolt" Ross, Banner works in a soft drink bottling factory in Brazil while attempting to find a cure for his condition with the help of an Internet friend. He also studies martial arts and meditative breathing techniques with a judo expert to help control his emotions, and has not suffered a transformation for five months since the accident and his injuring of Betty. After Banner suffers a cut, and his blood finds its way into a soda bottle eventually drank by an ill-fated consumer, Ross uses S.H.I.E.L.D. to track Banner down to Brazil and sends a specialised team led by British Military Emil Blonsky. Following a ferocious battle in the soft drink bottling plant where he transforms into the Hulk, Banner escapes Blonsky, and ends up in Guatemala, from which he travels to the United States, where he sees that a now-recovered Betty is working at Culver University and is dating psychologist Doctor Leonard Samson. He also sees his old friend Stanley, a pizzeria owner, who gives him a job as a delivery boy as cover to get in Culver to get his research. Banner uses this job to sneak past a Culver University security guard to continue his research. One night Betty visits the pizzeria with Leonard, and sees Bruce who exits into the rain, later reuniting with him. Blonsky reports to Ross that Bruce evaded them in Brazil because of the appearance of a large green monster. Ross explains that the monster is Banner, and that he was created accidentally during an experiment in radiation-resistance that, unbeknownst to Banner himself, was inspired by World War II-era military bio-force enhancement research, or "Super-Soldiers", as Blonsky puts it. Blonsky, seeking both revenge and power, volunteers as a test subject in order to capture Banner, and receives a small dose of of the mothballed original super-soldier formula made in WWII by Dr. Reinstein. He leads an assault on Banner at Culver University, during which Betty is knocked unconscious. Despite Blonsky's increased strength, speed and agility, the Hulk crushes most of the bones in Blonsky's body when facing off. Ross used most of his advanced forces to attack the Hulk but Hulk proves too strong saving Betty from a falling helicopter before absconding with Betty to Smokey Mountain National Forrest. Banner and Betty then travel to Manhattan, where they meet Banner’s "Mr. Blue" Internet friend, Dr. Samuel Sterns. Accompanying Sterns to his lab, Banner and Betty learn that Sterns has developed a possible antidote that may reverse Banner's transformations after their occurrence but might not prevent future ones, while an overdose would possibly kill him. Despite the risks, Banner agrees to test Sterns' antidote and is restrained before being shocked into transforming with electricity and then reverted to normal with an injection of the serum. Exhilarated by the success of the antidote, Sterns reveals that he has synthesized Banner's blood sample into a large supply with the intention of using it to enhance the human condition to the next evolutionary level. Appalled by what his colleague had committed and fearful of the the Hulk's power falling into the wrong hands, Banner attempts to convince Sterns to destroy the blood supply when he is shot by a tranquilizer from one of General Ross' snipers. As both Banner and Betty are taken into custody, Blonsky, whose super-soldier treatment has healed all his injuries but is desperate for more power, confronts Sterns and demands he subject him to a dose of the Banner's gamma radiation treatment. Sterns warns that the combination of the super-soldier serum and a gamma treatment would be an unpredictable combination and could turn him into an "abomination." Blonsky however is less than concerned about the possible consequences and Sterns promptly administers the gamma charge. As Blonsky mutates into a hideous titan, he knocks Sterns aside and an irradiated sample of Banner's blood-derivative drips into an open wound on Sterns temple, causing his cranium to mutate and expand as the Abomination goes on a rampage in the city, hoping to draw out Banner. Banner, realizing that he is the only one who can stop the Abomination, convinces General Ross to release him. He jumps out of Ross' helicopter as it hovers over the city, hoping the fall will stimulate his adrenal glands into triggering a transformation. Banner's plans succeeds and after a violent, pitched battle; the Abomination is defeated when the Hulk brutally strangles him with a huge chain but is stopped from killing him by Betty. After winning the battle, the Hulk flees the scene with the army in hot pursuit. Thirty one days later, Banner is in Bella Coola, British Columbia. Instead of trying to suppress his transformations, he is attempting to initiate them in a controlled manner. As his eyes turn green, a grin appears on his face. The Avengers A year and a half after the last incident, Banner found a new direction for himself acting as an unregistered physician helping people in poverty-stricken slums. No longer obsessed with finding a cure for himself, he had gained peace of mind in helping others. One night while working, he found himself lured into a meeting with Natasha Romanoff, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., who proposed a job for him helping S.H.I.E.L.D. with a dire emergency. Initially dubious, and suspecting that S.H.I.E.L.D. was really after his green alter ego, Banner resisted, but eventually he relented and agreed to Romanoff's request. His assignment on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier was to track the location of the Tesseract, an object of limitless power that had fallen into the possession of Loki. He worked together on this project with Tony Stark, the industrialist also known as "Iron Man", and was introduced to others, who like himself, were also more than human. Almost immediately, the clash of personalities within this assembled group provided a constant source of tension for all and Banner was subjected to frequent reminders of his need to contain the beast within. When others of the group apprehended Loki, and the Asgardian was imprisoned on the carrier, the antagonism only got worse. The Hulk finally boiled to the surface again when Clinton Barton, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent under Loki's control, led an attack against the carrier. Explosions from the attack caused debris from the ceiling to rain down on Banner, injuring him and triggering the change. He first rampaged around the vessel hunting Agent Romanoff, before turning his attention on Thor on the hangar deck. Finally, a S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot in a fighter jet outside got his attention by shooting him through a window, causing the Hulk to leap out and fall. Banner awoke in the blasted remnants of a warehouse and was immediately greeted by a lone security guard who offered him clothing. He was also relieved to learn that nobody else had been around when he crashed down. Following disturbances into New York City, where Loki had opened a dimensional rift, Banner located his superhuman acquaintances assembling to counter the threat. Although they were wary of another transformation, they insisted that he would be a help. Banner obliged, triggering a controlled transformation, then together with the others, he turned his attention on the Chitauri invasion force pouring through the portal. The Hulk did indeed prove to be an asset to the group. Not only did he single-handedly kill the first of the Chitauri leviathans that came through the portal, he was an unstoppable force in dealing with individual alien warriors, and instrumental in capturing Loki. Long after the battle was over, Banner, now back to normal again, gathered with the others to see off Thor and the captive Loki. The threat had been neutralized and for a time the world would have little need of its protectors. Banner, and the remaining heroes said their goodbyes and parted company. Appearance Abilities *'Super strength' - The Hulk's strength is matched only by the Abomination but even he wasn't strong enough to defeat the Hulk who's rage was stronger. *'Super speed' - The Hulk can easily out run human and most vehicles. *'Invulnerability' - The Hulk's body is so strong and dense, that bullets cannot penetrate it and if they do, his body quickly regenerates that area. *'Healing Factor' - The Hulk's body when injured, quickly heals the injured area by regenerating the tissue almost immediately after peneratration. *'Super stamina' - The Hulk can run and move for long periods of time far greater than Humans. As mild mannered Bruce Banner, he has no powers. But when his heart beat goes above 200 beats a minute, he transforms into the monstrous Hulk, a 10 feet tall green skinned monster. The Hulk's physical body attributes him great strength and power, which is fuelled by his rage meaning the angrier he gets the stronger he gets. Bruce Banner is a gifted scientist with particular expertise in nuclear physics and biochemistry, famous for being one of the foremost geniuses of his generation. He is a highly rated expert in gamma radiation and according to Tony Stark his work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. Agent Coulson also compared him to Stephen Hawking. He learned Aikido and meditative breathing basic techniques, while in Brazil, with a martial arts expert. Personality Banner is shown as a sarcastic, shy, mild-mannered, self-assured and mysterious person. After the incident at Culver University, he became obsessed with finding a cure for his mutation and clearly exposed his suicidal tendencies. He is afraid of hurting someone unintentionally, so he tries not to get close to something that leaves him stressed. He supplemented his scientific pursuit by learning meditation and breathing techniques, gaining a greater control over the transformations. When he transforms, his personality regresses to a more child-like state and he has little recollection of events after he returns to his normal human form, typically refering to himself in the third person. The Hulk often claims that he wants to be left alone. In his earliest transformations, Banner appeared as a savage with no real ability to distinguish friend from foe. Because of this, he was responsible for the deaths of two scientists, an army officer, an police officer from Idaho and two Canadian hunters when he was a fugitive. The Hulk gradually attained a better reasoning capacity over time, becoming able to show affection and demonstrating a capacity to work collaboratively with others. Trivia *It remains unclear if Bruce Banner was born on December 18, 1969 or November 14, 1969. * It was stated in a newspaper of The Washington Post and other of The Washington Times that the incident with the failed gamma ray experiment, referred as "Mysterious Incident at the Culver University", occurred on Thursday, January 12, 2006. * Banner graduated from Harvard, participating in an experiment involving hallucinogens with Betty. * Stark Industries constructed the gamma device that was involved in Bruce Banner's mutation into the Hulk. * Banner was a colleague of Erik Selvig at Culver University. Selvig described him as a "pioneer in the use of gamma radiation". The first time they met again after six years was when Selvig helped Banner to put the Tesseract back to a container after Loki being arrested. Category:Super-heroes Category:The Incredible Hulk characters Category:Characters with super strength Category:Characters with invulnerability Category:The Avengers Category:The Avengers characters Category:Hulk Category:Characters with super speed Category:Avengers member Category:Iron Man characters